A Mighty Guy
by JessenoSabaku
Summary: He found might in my weakness—I merely followed in his footsteps. One-shot. Lee's POV. No contractions guaranteed, or your money back!  Note: I say this because Lee never uses contractions in the English dub-this stays true to that. 'Cause I want it to.


**Disclaimer: I own none of Naruto. But it's an awesome series, so go buy a bunch of volumes! It's okay, I can wait … I guess … So in case you didn't read those first couple of sentences, this is just a piece of work for fun and writing critique. So without further ado, let's get on to the story-telling!**

A green jumpsuit, bowl-cut hair, and ridiculously large eyebrows—if ever there was a more ludicrous-looking man, please give me a call so that I may have correct information. Surely even I realized somewhere in the back of mind just how silly he was and how strange I had to be to idolize him. I recall my first days as a Genin when I too shook my head and sighed along with my teammates when witnessing our sensei's crazy rivalry with that snowy-haired shinobi.

However, somewhere inside that mess of excitement and teeth-whitening product there was something no other sensei could ever replace or give to me. That something was the reason why all logic was thrown aside and I willingly jumped headfirst into the land of Oz … so to speak. Suddenly instead of being called "hot-blooded" people started simply calling me "weird" or "bushy-brows" which is almost as bad but not quite, and the new nicknames are much more affectionate, if I do say so myself.

Whatever they called me, to my sensei I was "Lee." I was "Lee the hard-working genius," "Lee, the inheritor of my philosophy and the Will of Fire." Out of everyone in Konohagakure there was only one man who was willing to stand up, take a look at all the work I had done, and not only praise but encourage it. While everyone else tried to bully me into submission, he raised me up on a pedestal and gave me a reason to continue fighting. No, not just that … he also strengthened my will to live and to prove wrong those who looked down upon me. Maybe the latter is why Naruto-kun and I always got along …

So as I watched his past and personality unfold, I gained only a greater admiration and a stronger desire to want to be someone just like him. As I surpassed many so-called "geniuses" on my own even with my "disability" I grew to know more and more just how right he had been about me and how much he put his faith in me even when no one else wanted to. An unbreakable faith is what makes strength after all, is it not? Without him I would never be here and I probably never would have found the happiness I was looking for. I will tell you right now: independence can be a weakness. I am glad I never had to find that out the hard way.

Now that all is said and done, I am praised by the very people who shunned me before, and I wonder just how Naruto-kun manages to smile at them without being angry. I know that while it does not make me furious it annoys me to a certain extent, so it is beyond me how someone in his position—one that was much worse in the past—can just brush it off. I am confident that is true strength too. Through it all, though, there is only one person whose opinion matters—not the Hokage, not my colleagues, or my superiors—and only one person who can take all the credit for bringing about the present for which I am praised and the future to which I look forward to. I would also like to point out that in said future I still have much more to learn.

So with all that I have divulged to you let me make one thing clear: if you insult my sensei—the man who changed my life for the better—I will not rest until you have paid full dues. You know not what a great man you belittle, so to prove the existence of the light that shines underneath, I will defend him—with my fists if I must—whether the aggressor is my enemy or comrade. Force yourself to look on the inside and see what someone like me was able to see beyond the jumpsuit and the famous, twinkling smile that could give you sunburn. What lies behind that locked door of an outer image is what, in light of his greatness and accomplishments, makes mine nothing but mere replicas that have now allowed me to branch off onto a slightly different path. He found might in my weakness—I merely followed in his footsteps.

Am I doing well, Gai-sensei?

… What do you know? He said "yes."

**(XXX)**

Note: This is more of a rant than anything. I wanted to express how deep the mentor/student relationship between Lee and Gai is because contrary to popular belief it is something fairly intricate and meaningful—not just a way to get a lot of comedic relief. I think that if Lee looked back on their relationship in a logical sense and took some real time to think about it, this is how he would respond (because we all know if he was asked for an immediate response he would say "Gai-sensei is amazing!" and leave it at that). If you see him in some of his more serious times behind those bushy brows is a mental capacity that can be quite enviable at times. I mean, if you look at him in earlier episodes, when he's studied something he can make use of it and explain it quite well. I think that says enough about his capabilities. Anyhow, that's getting into another story for another time and place. I wanted to write something heart-warming and sappy in addition to all this, so considering everything it all worked out pretty well, if I do say so myself. So review and request and whatever else you crazy people do (emphasis on the REQUEST part. If I have a request from someone I'm usually more motivated to write and fill it).


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